title: Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. Doxorubicin, hyperfractionated radiotherapy and surgery.
abstract: Sixteen consecutive patients with anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid were prospectively treated according to a combined regimen consisting of hyperfractionated radiotherapy, doxorubicin and debulking surgery. The radiotherapy was preoperatively administered to a target dose of 30 Gy in 3 weeks, and postoperatively to an additional dose of 16 Gy in 1.5 weeks. Radiotherapy was administered twice daily, 5 days a week, with a target dose of 1 Gy per fraction and with a minimum interval of 6 hours. A dose of 20 mg doxorubicin was administered intravenously 1 to 2 hours before the first radiotherapy session every week. Debulking surgery was feasible in 9 patients. Local complete remission was achieved in 5 patients and 3 of these are still alive disease-free at 10, 30, and 30 months respectively after diagnosis. Only 6 patients succumbed to a local failure. This combination regimen was well tolerated despite the patients' high age and advanced disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tennvall
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tallroth
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: el Hassan
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lundell
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akerman
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biörklund
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Blomgren
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Löwhagen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wallin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002423:Cause of Death; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*